CLS-Chapter 194

Chapter 194

The reason why Wei Yan-ho could not step forward, as mentioned by Jang-il, was delivered to Jo Hyeon’s hands. Jo Hyeon immediately went to Sima Cheon-se’s office with the letter he had received.

Facing Jo Hyeon who had visited his room since morning, Sima Cheon-se received the letter from Jo Hyeon’s hands and sat down.

“A martial arts tournament under heaven?”

“To be precise, it’s the Under Heaven Rising Stars Martial Arts Friendship Enhancement Tournament.”

“…Why is the name so long?”

“Original names are supposed to look impressive. Since we’ll end up shortening it anyway, wouldn’t it be better if the original name was as grandiose as possible?”

“I can never understand the way scholars think.”

Though he had complaints, that wasn’t what mattered now. What mattered was the contents of the letter.

After reading the contents inside the unfolded letter, Sima Cheon-se silently put down the letter and leaned back in his chair.

“Is anyone outside?”

“Yes, Alliance Leader.”

“Bring in some tea.”

“Yes.”

Sima Cheon-se didn’t wait for the tea to arrive even though he had requested it. His reaction was immediate.

“What do you think?”

“Didn’t you see it yourself?”

“Man, just because I read it doesn’t mean I understand anything. To my eyes, the black parts are letters and the white parts are paper.”

Jo Hyeon smiled bitterly.

“You can’t keep deferring your thinking like this, Alliance Leader.”

“There must be hundreds of minds in this Orthodox Alliance that work better than mine, and the best-working mind is right in front of me, so why should I be the one thinking? You do the thinking, and I’ll just move my body around. Isn’t that right?”

Jo Hyeon laughed quietly.

In a way, these weren’t words that should come from the mouth of someone leading an organization, but conversely, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the Orthodox Alliance had grown its power precisely because of Sima Cheon-se’s attitude.

Even with the smallest bit of power, people try to wield that power. To be in the supreme position of Alliance Leader of the Orthodox Alliance, yet acknowledge one’s limitations and completely delegate judgment to those of lower status – this was something ordinary people could not do.

“The Heavenly Medical Alliance has drawn their sword.”

“It just looks like content suggesting a friendly martial arts competition? Haven’t they gone too far?”

Jo Hyeon quietly shook his head.

“With the Heavenly Medical Alliance’s current strength, they cannot oppose us.”

“That’s only natural.”

“But what about twenty years from now?”

“Twenty years from now?”

At the mention of twenty years hence, Sima Cheon-se’s face slightly contorted.

“When the time comes for the generation currently representing the martial world to step back, can we say the Orthodox Alliance will maintain an unshakeable superiority over the Heavenly Medical Alliance?”

“Man, I don’t even know what will happen in five years, so how would I know what happens in twenty years? That’s something we’ll have to see when the time comes. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, exactly so. But there is one way to predict the martial world twenty years from now. It’s by looking at the rising stars.”

“That makes sense.”

“Anyway, both the Heavenly Medical Alliance and we are advocating orthodox schools, aren’t we? There might be intermittent clashes, but full-scale war is difficult to occur. Then what matters is who possesses more renowned individuals. Facing the current Orthodox Alliance, which is full of those who have made their names known throughout the Four Seas through battles with the Demonic Cult, is burdensome, but they can claim to be better than the future Orthodox Alliance. The foundation for this is precisely the rising stars.”

“Hmm…”

Sima Cheon-se tilted his head.

“But I don’t understand. If they don’t have a clear advantage in rising stars, the Orthodox Alliance’s rising stars aren’t at a level where they’d be lacking anywhere, are they?”

Jo Hyeon answered with a bitter expression.

“That’s not quite the case either.”

“Hmm, why? Don’t we have talents like Wei San-ho?”

“Demon-Slaying Sword Wei San-ho is certainly a talent capable of competing for first under heaven.”

“Exactly!”

“But what about the others?”

Sima Cheon-se couldn’t answer.

“Could we compare children like Shangguan Hong or Peng Do-hyeong to the Alliance Leader of that time?”

“When you put it that way, they’re weak as hell.”

“Exactly.”

Jo Hyeon sighed quietly.

This wasn’t just memory correction.

Whether the current generation was a poor harvest or Sima Cheon-se’s generation was a rich harvest couldn’t be precisely evaluated, but compared to the generation of the Great Demonic Upheaval that produced a flood of talents, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say the current generation’s rising stars were weak as hell.

Wei San-ho was at least maintaining their dignity, but during Sima Cheon-se’s active period, there had been several talents of that caliber.

‘Though it’s hardly fitting to call it a one-generation difference…’

To be precise, Sima Cheon-se and Wei Jeong-han, Gong Mu-jin, and then Wei San-ho and Wei Yan-ho should each be considered to have a generational gap. Originally, generations should have naturally changed, but due to the Demonic Cult’s rise, the generation that should have retired stepped forward as active players to lead the situation, and as a result, Wei Jeong-han and others who were called rising stars at the time were largely overshadowed by the previous generation’s reputation.

Jo Hyeon well knew that era was passing and a new era was coming. And the Heavenly Medical Alliance had precisely struck at that point.

‘They’ve struck at a troublesome spot.’

People cheer for the strong. But on the other hand, they also desire for those strong ones to be replaced and new winds to blow.

For twenty years since the Demonic Cult’s rise, the martial world had been stagnant. While it was an era of peace, it was also an era pressed down by the previous generation’s reputation.

It was a part he had thought could become a problem someday, and someone had struck precisely at that point.

‘Who is the brain behind the Heavenly Medical Alliance?’

Several people came to mind.

But they would never be able to catch Jo Hyeon off guard and strike at this point in such a moment.

Then he had to assume a new brain had appeared in the Heavenly Medical Alliance. Jo Hyeon stroked his beard, solidifying his thought that surveillance of the Heavenly Medical Alliance needed to be strengthened.

“Then you’re confident that their rising stars are clearly stronger than our children.”

“They wouldn’t move like this if that weren’t the case.”

“Then how should we respond? According to what you’re saying, isn’t this a martial arts tournament where we have nothing to gain?”

“Nothing to gain, indeed. Until recently, that is.”

“Hmm?”

Sima Cheon-se tilted his head.

“Look here, what do you mean by that? Don’t frustrate people and speak clearly.”

“I had no intention of frustrating the Alliance Leader. I mean exactly what I said. If such a letter had come some time ago, I would have had to agonize over methods for a long time. But now there’s absolutely no need to agonize. We just need to send the people they want.”

“Send them? But you said the chances of victory are slim?”

“Producing one champion is a possibility. But if everyone except that champion is filled by the Heavenly Medical Alliance, how will people see it?”

“Victory wouldn’t be victory.”

“Exactly. But…”

Jo Hyeon smiled triumphantly.

“What if two people from the Orthodox Alliance reach the finals?”

“Mm?”

“And overwhelmingly so.”

At Jo Hyeon’s words, Sima Cheon-se nodded.

A rising star who could advance to the finals with overwhelming victory.

The Orthodox Alliance had such a talent whose victory was guaranteed – something no other faction could dare claim. A monster who was embarrassing to even define as a rising star.

“I see what you mean by not needing to worry.”

“I was already pondering how exactly to introduce this fellow to the outside world, and this worked out perfectly. Since they’ve laid out the stage so openly, we just need to accept that stage and dance on it. In the process, we also gain the advantage of presenting to the martial world as belonging to the Orthodox Alliance, a guy who has absolutely no sense of belonging.”

“Truly a strategist.”

“You’re too kind.”

Sima Cheon-se looked at Jo Hyeon with a pleased expression and said,

“Then now the most trivial problem remains.”

“Yes?”

“The trivial problem of how to cajole that lazy bastard into participating in the martial arts tournament.”

“Th-that’s what I came to discuss with the Alliance Leader…”

“No, no. Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

Sima Cheon-se smiled awkwardly and said,

“Since you came suddenly, I couldn’t mention it, but I have some business. My wife is sick, you see.”

Jo Hyeon answered with a blank face.

“…Alliance Leader, you’ve been widowed for over ten years.”

“Then, my second wife.”

“Where would someone who only stays in the office and Alliance Leader’s quarters get a new wife?”

“As long as a man has the strength to lift a spoon, that’s how it is! I can lift not just spoons but pillars, so seeking flowers is only natural!”

“No, what kind of sensible words should you use…”

“Enough! Didn’t I say that’s how it is! Are you planning to rebel against me now? Saying it doesn’t make sense! Even now, if I go to the marketplace, pretty children line up just to get one look at my face.”

“That’s because even sixty-year-old grandmothers are children from the Alliance Leader’s perspective!”

“What, you bastard?”

“No, that’s…”

Was this something to emit killing intent over?

Seeing Sima Cheon-se pressuring him while emitting a fearsome aura, words naturally got blocked. Sima Cheon-se coughed and turned his slightly reddened face away as he spoke.

“Anyway, since I can’t pay attention to this, I’ll delegate this matter to you. Since you’ve provided the solution, proceed without any hitches.”

“All-Alliance Leader! This matter will be easily resolved if the Alliance Leader steps forward. Using the Alliance Leader’s authority and friendship with Wei Jeong-han to pressure Wei Yan-ho…”

“Didn’t I say I’m busy!”

Sima Cheon-se suddenly stood up and shouted.

“Anyway, I’ll consider it settled and go. It might take several days… don’t come looking for me. Handle everything in the meantime!”

“Alliance Leader! Alliance Leaderrrrr!”

Jo Hyeon cried out watching Sima Cheon-se run out like the wind after opening the door, but Sima Cheon-se never looked back.

“Just the other day he was saying he’s like a bright grandson…”

Where did all that bravado go?

If he was going to run away like this, he shouldn’t have said such things.

“Urrrrgh.”

Jo Hyeon groaned and covered his face.

Just thinking about seeing Wei Yan-ho again, his stomach felt like it was being stabbed.

‘It’s for the martial world, for the martial world.’

Jo Hyeon had always lived with the thought of sacrificing his body for the peace of the martial world and the Orthodox Alliance. But while sacrificing his body was easy, having to meet Wei Yan-ho and make a request was a different matter.

He’d rather get beaten up than try to persuade that lazy bastard whose hobby was turning people’s insides upside down.

Thinking about the humiliation he’d have to endure while persuading that lazy bastard, the sky seemed to turn yellow.

“…I should retire.”

This job was too disgusting to continue any longer.

Jo Hyeon shook his head and stood up. With a face that seemed to have aged ten more years in the meantime, Jo Hyeon trudged toward the quarters where Wei Jeong-han’s party was staying.